New opportunities for more sustainable independent food & farming businesses
The UK will need to change the way food is produced and processed so that we continue to enjoy healthy affordable food in the decades ahead
Hilary Benn, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary
As Defra launches the Food 2030 open discussion on the future of food, Provenance, a new London and East Anglia based partnership, is offering a range of services to independent food businesses across the supply chain, with an emphasis on supporting, promoting and developing more sustainable and local supply chains.
Demanding more sustainable food
Government policy and consumer demand are changing, creating new opportunities for independent food producers to supply both public and private sector outlets. Producers that work transparently to produce and supply food more sustainably will be best placed to benefit from these opportunities. Provenance aims to help food and farming businesses to work more sustainably and win new business.
Helping independent businesses access public sector markets
Amongst Provenance’s services is support for independent food suppliers in winning contracts to supply public sector markets. The public sector catering market in England is worth £2 billion annually (according to the National Audit Office’s report, Smarter food procurement in the public sector). Provenance recognises that many small and local suppliers can supply quality local food to schools, hospitals and other outlets, but face obstacles that favour larger businesses with more experience and resources.
These obstacles have been highlighted this week by the launch of Sustain’s new Good Food for our Money campaign, demanding “mandatory standards for 100% procurement of healthy and sustainable food in the public sector”.
A free alert email alert service for public sector food supply contracts
Food suppliers are often simply not aware of opportunities to supply the public sector. While all public sector contracts above specified thresholds are advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) and subscription services provide alerts of opportunities, accessing this information is often expensive or difficult.
Provenance has launched the first entirely free alert service to notify businesses of every upcoming public sector food supply contract advertised in the OJEU. Businesses can subscribe to receive daily or weekly emails with details of every contract. Provenance can provide further support in meeting the requirements of public sector purchasers and tendering for contracts.
More from Provenance
Provenance can also help manage supply chains, bringing professional standards and systems to independent food supply chains of every scale; audit supply chains to demonstrate and improve sustainability; and provide affordable but effective advice on marketing and communication, from support for direct marketing initiatives to development of web sites and services.